The Times and Democrat - The choice is Orangeburg

German-based ECKA Granules, Georgia-based GTS Energy and Texas-based Lennox International Inc.'s Allied Air Enterprises are a sampling of the companies that have chosen Orangeburg County recently as a place to build for the future.

"These companies we are working with can go anywhere," Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson said. "These companies, that are nationally and internationally based, are willing to invest in us."

Since December 2005, Orangeburg County has announced $36 million in total capital investment by new industries.

"It is a very significant statement for Orangeburg County and our industrial recruitment efforts," Robinson said. "Companies recognize the fact they can make a profit here. We have the skills and all the amenities available (infrastructure, workforce development and utilities) that can speed along the process."

And Robinson says there may be more announcements in the future.

"This year our activity has remained strong," Robinson said, noting that the number of prospective industries contacting the county is down this year. "It is still strong. I feel we will continue to have a great 2006."

Industrial announcements

Dec. 2005-July 2006

Orangeburg County announcements of new industries over the past eight months include:

* December 2005 -- Marker 79 Marina and Yacht Club announced it will build a 231-slip marina on Lake Marion in Vance. The $3.5 million investment is expected to create about 15 new jobs.

The marina will feature dry stacking and rolling storage, as well as a 300-passenger cruise vessel. It will be located on Pine Bluff Street off Highway 6 on Lake Marion.

Construction is expected to begin in early fall 2006.

The company qualified for the "multicounty industrial business park" incentive, which provides a tax credit against corporate income taxes.

* December 2005 -- A Florence County timber company announced it would locate a plant in Bowman for removing bark from trees that will be used for utility poles.

Florence Pole and Piling Inc. operates on a 110-acre site off of Highway 178 at the intersection of Two Church Road and Lockwood Road.

The company announced it would invest about $250,000 in machinery and equipment, as well as the land and building. The company began operations during the first quarter of 2006.

Florence Pole will employ between four and seven individuals over the next five years. It will employ lift truck operators, contract haulers, pole machine operators, inspectors and management. Salaries will range from $8 to $10 an hour, not including management positions.

* December 2005 -- The construction of a 35,000-square-foot distribution facility for Kenco Group Inc. at the Carolina Regional Park was announced.

The $2 million investment will bring 15 new jobs to the county over the next five years at the 80-acre business park, located at Interstate 26 and U.S. 601.

* April 2006 -- ECKA Granules, a German-based manufacturer of pure metallic powders, announced it was opening its first North American production facility in Orangeburg.

ECKA plans to invest $12 million and create 40 new jobs in Orangeburg over the next five years. Company wages are expected to be at or above the county's traditional wage rate of about $10-12 an hour.

The company will occupy the 60,000-square-foot former Federal-Mogul Power Train Systems facility at the Orangeburg County Industrial Park off U.S. Highway 21. Federal Mogul closed the facility about three years ago.

The company will focus on the production of metal powder products for U.S., Canadian and Latin American markets. Production will encompass products from three core business units, including red metals (copper-based metals), aluminum and magnesium.

ECKA expects to invest between $300,000 and $500,000 to prepare the facility for its metal operations. The majority of the investment will be in technology and equipment.

ECKA is in the process of acquiring equipment, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony tentatively scheduled for October 2006.

ECKA also purchased about 20 acres of land for projected future expansion and development of its facility.

The company qualified for job tax credits, job development credits and a fee-in-lieu of taxes agreement, as well as receiving infrastructure-related grants to fund construction of rail access to building.

ECKA's incentive package was provided under the Tier 2, or "under-developed" designation, which provides an income tax credit of $3,500 per year for each new job a company creates.

Orangeburg County was considered a "distressed" county until January, allowing qualifying industries to take an $8,000 income tax credit for each job they created. After the state Department of Revenue changed the county's status to "under-developed," based on the county's level of development, lawmakers changed state law to allow Orangeburg County to be considered "distressed" -- and offer the higher incentives -- once again.

* June 2006 -- Atlanta-based industrial process heating systems manufacturer GTS Energy Inc. announced its plans to invest $3.5 million and bring 100 new jobs to Orangeburg over the next five years.

The company is located in the former Scienda Building Sciences facility on Charleston Highway.

The company will occupy about 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space and about 30,000 square feet of office space. The property consists of about 25 acres, providing space for future growth.

GTS designs and makes industrial heating systems. The wages for new jobs will range between $10 and $20 an hour, depending on the position and level of employment. Jobs will vary from welding to assembly to electrical work.

GTS has already started work on a limited basis, with employment expected to gradually increase.

The company is eligible to receive jobs tax credits and property tax abatement incentives.

* June 2006 -- Lennox International Inc. said it plans to bring all its Allied Air Enterprises operations to South Carolina.

Nearly 200 full-time jobs will be created when Allied Air's remaining manufacturing operations in Bellevue, Ohio are consolidated into the company's existing Blackville and Orangeburg manufacturing facilities.

Allied Air is adding a gas furnace line to its existing Orangeburg facility. The company's Magic-Pak combination heating/cooling product line is expected to begin production in Orangeburg in August, with another line being added in October.

Also, an $11 million, 238,000-square-foot warehouse addition will be built at the Orangeburg facility, which currently covers more than 350,000 square feet.

The incentive package is still being finalized.

* June 2006 -- Toyota of Orangeburg broke ground on its 27,000-square-foot, $3.8 million dealership on U.S. Highway 601 across the street from Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College.

The facility, touted as state-of the-art and customer-friendly, will be constructed over a nine-month to 12-month period, with the dealership opening in spring 2007. About 20 new jobs are projected to be added over a five-year period.

The facility will house the Toyota-Mazda-Scion lines on approximately 8-1/2 acres, which will include 450 parking spaces. The company has about 200 spaces at its current Broughton Street facility. There are also 2-1/2 acres available for future growth. C.F. Evans Construction Co. is the contractor for the project.

The county helped relocate utilities for the company.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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Comments:

Bob wrote on July 13, 2006 9:18 PM:"These jobs are paying very low wages. How can a man feed his family?"

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